Vampire Aristocracy of Stovakor
The city of Stovakor is ruled by an aristocratic heirarchy of vampire families acting as covens in the city but openly embracing vampirism rather than attempting to blend in with the rest of society. Varian ''"Your skin is flawless, your eyes the purest blue, and your youth still clings to your body even as your adulthood draws itself forth. Though you shall wish otherwise, you now have my full and complete attention." - ''supposed quote from Lord Varian in the Trial of Lady Fontange The Varians are known for breeding the best highborn humans that are prized by many. Those that please their masters may even be given the gift vampirism and a place in the family. They prize purity above all else, dreaming of creating the ultimate vampire from mortal stock, with rumours of nobles from courts across Etan being coerced into producing offspring for the Varians, though others believe these are just excuses to hide affairs. The majority of its members were elves from Quel'Doran, though many have become twisted by their generations of consumption of human blood. Their colours are black, gold and red. Kolv "''None of us like each other, but one thing is for sure, we all hate you." ''- Lady Justina Kolv in a reply to a question about what unites her bloodline Kolv is sometimes seen as a lesser of the great families in the eyes of the other vampires, but in the eyes of the people of the city it is this family that brings the most dread or even hope. Kolv has the most members but they are all very young and therefore weaker than the other families, but their numbers and control of the city compensates for the weakness of individuals. Kolv is also the house with the most members being originally human, as oppose the elves from the west. Haestar ''"Exiled and forgotten, we have earned our place at this council through blood and sorcery. All attained by means of deceit, butchery, spite, and malice. So...I suppose we are just like the rest of them." ''Mihnea the Wronged Heastar is the smallest of the great houses but still a powerful force. Its members are mostly children that became vampires or were born of another house from a vampire and less than reputable stock. Originally seen as a collection of bastards and freaks they were largely ignored by the great families expecting them to be destroyed by a lesser family. They were shocked when one family was wiped out and another lost nearly half its members leaving a once challenging family to be picked apart by the gangs that once paid them fealty. It was Heastar that was responsible, the children had made dark pacts and had become master assassins, and they took over territory across the city and took their place beside the other great families. Kaima ''"It touches me to trusted with something so terrible." ''- unknown member of the Kaima family A group of vampires that claim pure neutrality in the conflicts between the families is the Kaima, who are vampires that have grown bored of the world and have begun sending its members into a state of dreamlike bliss in large vats of glass filled with blood that have been prepared with magic rituals. The group has the offer of one hundred years of ecstasy in exchange for one hundred years of service; the offer is open to anyone from any Family. The services include guarding the sleeping members and collecting the needed reagents for the rituals. The territory of the Kaima is consider neutral ground by many and is used for the exchange of hostages as neither sides of any conflict would wish to anger the Kaima who would be able to pull enough favours from all the Families to plunge the city into an open war. Lesser Families Stenlik Family Stenlik is a lesser family that deals in warped creatures from the forests surrounding Stovakor such as werewolves and hengeyokai, turning them into servants for different vampire lords. They work under the patronage of the greater families who protect them from the other lesser families whilst they provide them with spies, assassins and warriors. Wuld Expert woodsmen and hunters, the family Wuld serve as huntmasters for the greater families, supplying their expertise, their hounds and sometimes, the prey. Their less glamorous but perhaps more vital duty is to track down trespassers and escapees. In this pursuit the Wuld are relentless and it is due in large part to their effectiveness that firsthand account of life within Stovokor are so rare.Category:Organisations Category:Vampire Category:Etan